In a Skype interview
with Corriere della Sera, Maria Giulia Sergio – dubbed 'Lady
Jihad' by the Italian press – said the group is merely obeying
Sharia law when it beheads its victims. She also claimed that the
group respects human rights.

Reporters were unable to see Sergio's face, but said they
recognized her voice, thanks to wiretaps captured by Italy's
anti-terror police squad.

The 28-year-old has
denounced the arrests, calling the police operation a
failure.

Her defense of beheadings come just one week after IS militants
reportedly performed the act for the first time on women, with
two falling victim.

Sergio isn't the first to dote on the alleged benefits of the
militant group's self-proclaimed caliphate. In May, the group
released a 'tourist guide' which compared
IS-controlled territories to a “plush holiday resort.”

In February, the group published a 50-page e-book offering would-be
jihadists advice on how to reach Syria to join the group.

IS has been successful in recruiting hundreds of women. Up to 550
females from around the world are believed to have traveled to
join the militant group in Syria and Iraq, according to the
Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

In May, the Institute
tracked more than 100 female recruits and their nationalities
through online platforms. The vast majority were British, and the
average suspected age was 16.

Meanwhile, reports of
the militant group's atrocities continue to emerge, including the
rapes of women and teenagers – some of whom are
reportedlysoldin
slave markets “for as little as a pack of
cigarettes.”